Blues show off new `team'

Members the newly formed political group called the Five and Six United Team (五六聯隊) comprised of 115 young councilors from 24 cities and counties yesterday visited Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to discuss inter-city cooperation and the strategies to consolidate the young votes in next year's presidential campaign.

Forty-five KMT, PFP and nonpartisan councilors wore bright blue T-shirts printed with white characters of their names and the team name at the gathering.

Taitung County Council Speaker Wu Chun-li (吳俊立), director of the Five and Six United Team, explained that these councilors represent the younger generations of primarily pan-blue leaders classified as being in the "fifth grade" and "the sixth grade," meaning that they were born in 1970s and 1960s.

"I hope our young councilors who just stepped into the political ring can learn useful experiences from Mayor Ma, exchange opinions about public works projects and policies and promote the quality of questioning the administration during council sessions," Wu said.

The establishment of the Five and Six United Team was also the second stage of the cooperation between KMT and PFP, said Hualien county councilwoman Hsu hsueh-yu (徐雪玉).

"The Five and Six United Team has its sights on next year's presidential campaign. We're aiming at the young voters ... to make sure to retake the reins of government, Hsu said.

Team coach

"Coach" of the team, KMT Legislator Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), encouraged the members to emulate Ma and lauded the Taipei mayor's performance in fiscal management when the local government's budget was cut by the central government.

Wu Den-yih also mentioned that he cooperated with Kao-hsiung County to deal with the garbage problem in his term as Kaoshiung Mayor.

"I borrowed the dumpsite from Kaoshiung County at that time and successfully settled the problem. And now I know Mayor Ma will also use a similar strategy to handle garbage disposal and water supply problems by collaborating with Keelung City," said Wu Den-yih.

Ma, also wearing the blue T-shirt, said the Taipei City Government has allotted 50,000 tonnes of water from the Hsinshan Reservoir to Keelung city.

"If it is not enough, I can even bring in 50,000 tonnes of water from the Feitsui Reservoir to Keelung," Ma said.

Ma that the Taipei City Government has worked on cooperation and interaction between the cities and counties.

"I visited other cities not just to help with campaigning," Ma said.

"I believe the Five and Six United Team will break the conflict and disagreement between the cities and counties, local and the central government. By doing so, Taiwan is able to gain ground," Ma said.

A Keelung County councilor suggested that Ma take care of Keelung's 60,000 people commuting between Taipei and Keelung when enlarging the mass rapid transit system.

Ma that the city government has to communicate on the construction project with Taipei County Government because the route involves Taipei.